Monken Hadley conservation area
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Location
The Monken Hadley conservation area is located in the north east of the borough, with Hertfordshire and the London Borough of Enfield on its northern boundary. To the south lies the historic market town of Chipping Barnet.
The medieval route known as the Great North Road linked London to the north of England, passing through Chipping Barnet (part of the Wood Street conservation area), Hadley Green and Hadley Highstone (part of Monken Hadley conservation area) before heading north to Potters Bar and beyond.
The latest census figure (2001) gave the population for the conservation area as 2,456.
Description
The character of Monken Hadley stems from a long association with a predominantly rural society.
It was originally part of Middlesex, then later part of East Barnet District in Hertfordshire between 1895 and 1965. It is now part of the London Borough of Barnet.
Notable historical buildings, large areas of rough poorly drained common land, winding lanes and scattered groups of oaks and other native trees are reminders of early activity and settlement.
The church of St Mary the Virgin is the focal point in Monken Hadley and lies close to the crossing of ancient roads. Views from this spot reveal much of the character of the area.
The earliest references to the area are Anglo Saxon and it is thought to be of this origin. Before the Norman conquest it was known as Suthawe Borham, meaning ‘South Wood’ and at that time formed part of the Edmonton Hundred.
Hadley is the Saxon name for high places which it is thought may refer to Hadley as being part of middle Saxon country, then Middlesex. However, no Saxon dwelling sites or other works have been found.
It is believed that the cross country route from Brockley Hill to Colchester, built by the Romans, corresponds with the alignment of Camlet Way. Monken is said to refer to the Abbey of Walden, Essex - a hermitage at Hadley along with a church at Edmonton was given to the Abbey in the 12th century.
In 1066, William I granted Hadley to Geoffrey de Mandeville, first Earl of Essex. The land holdings formed part of an endowment to the Prior of Walden in Essex. The headquarters of this order of monks was at Saffron Walden.
Hadley Common, which includes Hadley Woods, is managed under its own Act of Parliament made in 1777.
The freehold of the Common is vested in the church wardens of Monken Hadley Church in perpetuity in trust for the commoners who have their own rules concerning vehicular access, grazing and use of the woods by the public. Therefore, although it is used by the public for recreational purposes the Common is not in public ownership. The five gates exist as points of access and must remain as long as grazing rights exist. It is also worth mentioning that the gates are grade II listed which also implies their continued retention.
The existing building on the site of St Mary the Virgin was built in 1494 and refaced in the 19th century. The tower has a cresset beacon, originally used to guide travellers across Enfield Chase and reputed to have signalled the approach of the Spanish Armada. Nowadays it is lit to celebrate coronations and royal jubilees. The original use of the beacon is reputed to have been in the day rather than night and through producing smoke, not fire, which was visible from a considerable distance.
The Battle of Barnet took place in 1471 between the Earl of Warwick and King Edward IV. This was the last but one battle in the Wars of the Roses and took place within sight of the church. An obelisk to commemorate the battle was erected in 1740 by Sir Jeremy Sambrook at the original junction of the Great North Road and the old road to St Albans, now known as Kitts End Road. This was before Telford constructed the present route in 1826 through the yard of the Green Man public house, by passing the thriving hamlet of Kitts End. Before this road was built, up to 150 coaches a day would have crossed Hadley Green, fostering a plague of highwayman, including Dick Turpin. The degree of bustle and activity along the route may well have been comparable to conditions pertaining today.